Prospective Students

M.Sc. Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year are now closed.
The deadline for AY2026-2027 is 15 January 2026, but please reach out well in advance to discuss potential projects, funding and logistical support, and other relevant issues.

With the opening of a new conservation biology lab at Florida Gulf Coast University, I am recruiting undergraduate- and Masters of Science-level students* who have a passion for threatened species, sensitive habitats, and our management of these resources. Projects do not have to be sea turtle-centric, though I will be soliciting help with various sea turtle efforts.
*Please note that FGCU does not currently have a Ph.D.-level program under the Department of Biological Sciences.

If you are an FGCU undergraduate interested in getting involved in ongoing lab projects through paid internships, volunteering, etc., please reach out to mware@fgcu.edu specifying which project and in what capacity you would like to get involved.

If you are interested in joining the lab to pursue independent research (i.e., M.Sc. in Biology, B.Sc. Honors thesis, undergraduate Directed Independent Study, etc.), please reach out at mware@fgcu.edu with the following information:

A research statement detailing your research question
- A few sentences laying out the desired study species, area of interest, data or management gap, and conservation need to fill that gap. Demonstrate that you have put some serious thought in your project idea, why it matters, and that it can be accomplished within the time restrictions of the program. Note that state, federal, or international permits can take months or years to obtain, so some projects are not feasible within program time restrictions without previous permits being awarded and available for modification.
A summary of your research and/or educational background demonstrating you have the interest and ability to successfully pursue your research question
- Nobody has all of the skills necessary to carry out a complex research project on their own. I am not expecting you to join the lab as a fully formed Master of All Things Conservation, and I will not pretend that I can boast of that title myself. We are always learning. What I am looking for in your background is that you have taken the time to honestly assess your career goals, identified the skills and knowledge required to pursue such an objective, and that you are working along your individual path that takes you to your desired endpoint. Gaps in your background are OK and are to be expected – we can work together to fill them.
An answer to the question: “Why this lab?”
- Project success is highly dependent on a good relationship between mentee and mentor. This often starts with a significant overlap in research and skill interests which form a strong foundation to build upon. So in a few sentences, spell out why do you want to join this lab? Why would you be a good fit? What are you looking to take away from your experience?

A few Dos and Don’ts when reaching out to a prospective advisor

DO

DON’T

Honestly evaluate your motivations and expectations.
Why do you want to pursue this particular degree or research path? Will it put you closer toward your personal and/or career goals? Independent research, and graduate training in particular, can be simultaneously immensely rewarding and punishingly difficult (mentally, emotionally, and physically). Make sure you are pursuing it for the right reasons and that it will take you where you want to go.
Be specific.
If you have particular skills, experiences, or coursework that make you an excellent candidate, point them out. A detailed CV and/or transcript can be useful here (given that most universities charge for official transcripts, unofficial copies are fine). If you are looking to learn certain techniques, spell out what they are and why you want to learn them.
If a faculty is recruiting students for a particular project (e.g., new grant funding has become available), explain why you are the best candidate to fill this search.
If you are proposing a new project or collaboration, all of the nitty-gritty details don’t need to be worked out, but you need to be detailed enough to demonstrate its feasibility and fit for both you and the faculty.
Value your personal experience.
There is no singular path for us all to follow to get from Points A to B. We are each exposed to different circumstances which may help or hinder our progress, shaping our lived experiences. Show how these experiences have informed your motivations and goals.

Email a prospective advisor only saying some version of “it would be cool to work with you”.
Faculty get emails like this a lot and it is an easy way to get your email thrown in the trash. Put some effort into researching what it is they do, what types of research questions they ask, etc. to make sure that you would be a good fit. In this same vein, do not send a form email to multiple advisors (or worse, list the wrong advisor’s name). There are elements you may copy-and-paste from email to email, but be sure to tailor each email to each prospective advisor.
Expect a given project or degree to be a magic wand that will open all doors
You will gain valuable experience and skills in the course of your studies, but it is highly unlikely you will land a job afterwards doing exactly what you were doing before and a job will not be handed to you simply because you can put “M.Sc.”, “Ph.D.”, or other abbreviations after your name. Make sure your skills are demonstrable, broadly transferable, and that they satisfy, but not over-qualify, you for jobs of interest to you.
Assume that a textbook-perfect background will guarantee you admission
There are many factors which influence admission into a particular lab – available mentorship capacity, physical resources, funding, etc. Some of these may be outside of your or your prospective mentor’s control. Rejection can be hard to hear, but it does not have to be permanent. For example, depending on the rationale, you may simply need to wait for a forthcoming opening (w.r.t. limited capacity) or you can propose joint grant-writing opportunities (w.r.t. funding limitation).

Funding

Limitations in available funding are among the most common reasons for prospective graduate students to be turned away. In addition to costs directly associated with the research (e.g., equipment, travel, salary, benefits), the mentor will likely need to fund training opportunities, conference travel, publication costs, tuition remission, or other expenses for each of their students. Some of these expenses may be covered by internal University resources (e.g., teaching or research assistantships, open access funding agreements), but resources may be limited in time or quantity.

When considering independent research, particularly at the graduate level, investigating potential sources of funding is strongly encouraged. Pay particular attention to eligibility requirements, application deadlines relative to the start of the University program, funding limits per applicant, and any restrictions on how the funding can be spent.

Potential sources of funding to consider include, but are not limited to: